This is Who We Are - Our Plants by Anastasia Jones

It’s only fitting that Fern Law’s office is filled with plants. A ficus by the big front windows, a cheeky little aloe hanging out on the kitchen tables. And, of course, ferns everywhere.

If they could talk, what would they say? It’s possible that they’d ask for water. (Growing is thirsty work.) But they might also tell you a bit about Fern: their home, and our firm.

First, Fern Law is deeply alive. It is bustling, homey, convivial. It is filled with soft pillows, sunlight, exuberantly floral wallpaper, laughter. We do serious legal work here, of course. We analyze and we negotiate, we crunch numbers and we polish arguments. But we do so in an environment that is not needlessly straitlaced. Tailored pinstripes and executive suites don’t necessarily equate to better outcomes for clients. We’re at home here: go ahead and put your feet up!

Second, our firm is flexible. One thing I especially like about the plants in our office is that they move around. One money tree used to hang out solo by the sink: now it’s happily ensconced in southern sunlight by the kitchen window. Change can be wise and brave. Here at Fern, we will pivot: we will reconsider, we will adapt. If one approach isn’t working, we are happy to try another. We grow and learn as we work.

And third, we are engaged. As every botanical guide will tell you, plants can’t survive on affidavits alone. The firm’s plants peer eagerly out of our many windows, lapping up the sun on Richmond Street, taking in the neighbourhood. Like our plants, the humans of Fern Law are connected to outside world, and so is the law we practise. Law should be useable and useful. We are deeply engaged with people—our clients and our communities—who are the beating heart of the work we do.

Alive, adaptable, involved: This is who we are.